Shraddha Testimonials

As a well wisher of ‘Shraddha’ (Retired sales executive from a multinational organization at Chennai), let me congratulate you, for your second venture (Dhsoora) after a gap of 3 months of your maiden production (Dhanushkoti), both successfully staged for 4 days continuous shows.

As a dramatist (Amateur stage actor) for four – decade old as well as one of the organizers of Sai Dramatic Society (1960-1970), I know the practical difficulties of organizing dramas

Really you had created novelty in your above plays. Well, I am sure, by mow you will move on to your next play. All the best.

When I first heard of ‘Shraddha’ I had my share of scepticism..wondering if there was a need for ‘yet another troupe’ on the Tamil Stage..after diligently watching their first three plays, I admit this is something refreshingly different.

Their first effort ‘Dhanushkodi’ was truly spectacular..the interplay of light and sound, apart from the breathtaking visuals, left the audience gaping..an excellent production with the best use of technology.. yes the play had its moments of high drama, with some competent performances from the artists..but the production values stole the show.

The second play ‘Doosra’ was very different, if one was looking for another ‘son’et lumiere’ kind of show.Here was a script that was so well conceived on a topic that was just about consuming the society, particularly the cricket crazy Madras Middleclass..namely T 20 matches of IPL. The play brought into focus the malaise that was all too clear to the lovers of the game but was’nt being talked about. ‘Doosra’ did the commendable job of showcasing how an enjoyable sporting activity could get into an antisocial ambience, reeking with greed and corruption. This was indeed a play with a strong and relevant message, marked by histrionic talents of a high order on the part of the artists.

The third presentation of ‘Sharddha’ was again a total deviation from the past… the play ‘From Madras to Chennai’ was an insightful commentary on the societal transformations that have come about- here again the focus is on the Madras Middle Class – among ourselves in the last five decades or so.The author did a good job of traversing the script through this period, both anecdotally as well as from the angle of the slang of language used and common practices of people. Here again the artists did a remarkable job to translate the script into an enjoyable play that left one thinking as the curtains came down finally.

I am beginning to agree with the claim of ‘Shraddha’ that they are not ‘another troupe’ but a movement for doing things differently on the Tamil Stage..

- Dr. Revati Balu, Educationist & Researcher

Script Doosra, which read like one of Shankar’s insanely ambitious project , would have ended up in the dust bin of any other Theatre producer. Shraddha made it possible with great élan and finesse. They gave a memorable Cast to execute the strong script !!

Writing , as Franz Kafka once wrote, is the axe for the frozen sea inside us.

Writing has been a journey for me in the last Ten years. With 60 short stories including 15 prize winning stories and couple of books, I had managed to unleash the frozen sea inside me. There was yet another unfulfilled passion – Theatre.

Theatre required a whole lot of additional skill sets that are generally anathema to a writer like me , who finds solace in reclusiveness. Managing a team of enthusiastic artists , stage management ,technical aspects, back stage, costumes ,props, auditorium, publicity .. with the endless list the task appeared uphill. It was an indulgence since childhood, baby steps waiting to culminate into a larger canvas. It remained as a mere passion.

“If you passionately wish for something all the universe will conspire to get it for you” says Paulo Cohello.

Enter Shraddha, a confluence of experienced Theatre enthusiasts who were looking for fresh talent. A synergy was created and I had found my alchemist.

I fondly recall the story discussion I had with TD Sundarrajan and Shivaji Chaturvedi. “Give us something off beat… that was not done before…” they said.

“What about Cricket on stage” I asked them with an apparent disbelief.

“ Cricket is great… let’s do it” they said with a child like enthusiasm. “ Go and write whatever you think would make a great story, pick any scenario.. any special techniques… challenge us to perform… let us execute it for you”

Doosra, The story of Cricket, was thus born. I dreamt my possible best and gave them a nightmare to execute !

Street cricket, Test match on stage, Video projection as a narrative tool, Shots of the Protagonist playing cricket being mixed up with real Cricket videos , A former cricketer interviewing the Hero as video projections, Cheering crowds as backdrops , Fans throwing bottles, Voice over of commentary…

Script Doosra, which read like one of Shankar’s insanely ambitious project , would have ended up in the dust bin of any other Theatre producer. Shraddha made it possible with great élan and finesse. They gave a memorable Cast to execute the strong script !! They roped in Delhi Ganesh, the veteran Film personality, Kathadi Ramamurthy the doyen of Tamil stage and a bunch of extremely talented artists and technicians. Doosra, after 45 days of hard work rolled out as a unique experience. The audience loved it and the critics applauded. What a team ! Each one excelled in performance. Thanks guys. Shraddha fulfilled an other dream for me. Sharing the stage with Kathadi Ramamurthy in mainstream Tamil theatre !

While I scripted Doosra for Shradha, they scripted a far more important paradigm shift in me of a writer to a theatre artist. Couldn�t thank them enough. Together, we will create new dreams and a new benchmark in Tamil theatre.